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THE TRIBUNE EARTHQUAKE RELIEF FUND

CM sees LeT hand in IISc shooting
Bangalore, December 29
Karnataka Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh today said that the indiscriminate firing on scientists at the Indian Institute of Science here last night appeared to be handiwork of the Lashkar-e-Toiba even as he claimed that sensitive sites had been identified and were being given appropriate security cover.

ISRO centres on red alert
Nation page: Security tightened at key installations
Students mourn Prof Puri’s death  (More stories)
Chandigarh page: Bangalore killing: shockwaves in UT

In video (28k, 56k) Relatives of Prof M.C. Puri, who was killed in Bangalore on Wednesday, console each other as the body reaches his Mount Kailash house in New Delhi on Thursday evening. — A Tribune photograph

India: The Tasks Ahead
   SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

125TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS,
INAUGURAL SESSION

New Delhi, December 29 The Union Cabinet today cleared a package comprising enhanced ex gratia and relief and rehabilitation assistance to the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, amounting to around Rs 715 crore.

In death cases: Rs 3.5 lakh. It will be in addition to the amount already paid. In cases of injuries: Rs 1.25 lakh minus the amount already paid. In cases of damaged property: the payment will be 10 times the compensation minus the amount already paid.

Mass grave: Gujarat HC asks CBI to collect samples
Ahmedabad, December 29
Rejecting the state government’s plea , the Gujarat High Court today entrusted the CBI with the task of collecting samples of the skeletal remains from a mass grave found in Panchmahal district on Tuesday.

Class II posts within HSSC purview
Chandigarh, December 29
The Haryana Cabinet today decided to bring Class II posts within the purview of the Haryana Staff Selection Commission. According to an official spokesman, the decision has been taken because at present appointments to all Group B (gazetted) posts are outside the purview of the Haryana Public Service Commission, and the Departmental Selection Committees have been constituted to recruit candidates to Group B services.

BPSC chief, 8 others in vigilance net Remanded to 13-day judicial custody
Patna, December 29 Bihar Public Service Commission Chairman Ramsinghasan Singh, its Deputy Secretary, member and six other employees were arrested today on charges of forgery, cheating and indulging in corrupt practices.
Bihar vigilance officers arrest Bihar Public Service Commission Chairman Ram Singhasan Singh (centre) after a raid in the BPSC office in Patna on Thursday.

BJP in penitence mode, blasts expelled MPs
Snubs Advani’s stance, Hindutva takes back seat
Mumbai, December 29
Even as it kept quiet on Hindutva, the BJP today strongly hit out at its MPs, who were expelled from the Parliament for their involvement in the cash-for-questions scam, and promised to rectify the shortcomings plaguing the party.

Salem’s brain mapping
Bangalore, December 29
The Forensic Sciences Laboratory conducted brain mapping tests on Abu Salem here today. Anti-terrorist squad officials, who brought Salem here, said brain mapping involved measuring electrical impulses to ascertain whether the person being questioned was telling the truth or not.

25,000 trees face axe Amritsar, December 29 More than 25,000 trees along the GT Road face axe to make way for a four-lane Wagah-Jalandhar road, work on which will start in February. According to official sources, the widening of the road will be undertaken by a private builder. The Forest Department has chalked out a plan for green cover to replace the trees, which are proposed to be felled during the widening process. Punjab page: Inquiry ordered into violation of felling rules